LunchOwl hopes to help office workers eat healthier meals

LunchOwl founder Scott Himmel, left, has partnered with local chefs Ryan Hamel, center, and Matt Del Regno to form a Cleveland company that will launch in late August and aims to provide “fresh, energizing” meals.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

One of LunchOwl’s offerings is an apple almond herb salad.

Lean Dog considers itself an innovative company that invests in its work force.

The Cleveland software design firm has a fitness center and a rock climbing wall, and is adding a rooftop garden and a chicken coop to provide fresh eggs.

But its location within a converted barge on the docks of Lake Erie makes it challenging for employees to conveniently access healthy, local food.

That's why its future partnership with LunchOwl, a new healthy lunch delivery service, floats its boat.

“We sit at computers all day, so sometimes we just eat what's in front of us, like pizza,” said Lean Dog president Jon Stahl.

“We want to encourage healthier lifestyles.”

LunchOwl founder Scott Himmel has spent more than a year developing the service, which he is set to launch in late August with local chef-partners Ryan Hamel and Matt Del Regno.

“We're partnering with forward-thinking companies to provide their employees with fresh, energizing lunches,” Himmel said. “This service helps employees make healthier choices and be more productive at work.”

About a dozen companies have expressed interest or have committed to the service.

Thunder::tech, a MidTown-based integrated marketing agency, participated last summer in LunchOwl's six-week pilot and is partnering with the service upon its rollout, said president Jason Therrien.

“The team members missed it so much when LunchOwl went off pilot. We actually had a waiting list,” Therrien said.

“MidTown has some great restaurants popping up, but it's not downtown or East Fourth Street.”

McKINLEY WILEY

LunchOwl lunches waiting for workers.

How it works

Himmel's model is to make the process as easy for employers and employees as possible.

Partner companies must have at least 25 employees and commit to a minimum enrollment period of three months, with the lunch delivery frequency ranging from two to five days per week.

The fee scale ranges from a minimum per-lunch contribution of $1 per person for companies with 200-plus employees, to a minimum of $3 per person for companies with 25 to 75 workers.

Stahl of Lean Dog expects that most of his 25 on-location employees will enroll in the service when it launches. His cost per person will be about $30 per employee per month, based on each employee ordering 2 1/2 times per week.

Employees pay the difference of the lunch cost. Most lunches cost between about $9 and $12, not including glass-bottled drinks, light desserts and energy snacks.

The online ordering system allows employees to toggle between a “healthfulness” level and recommends different meals based on their taste preferences.

“An employee who's used to eating fast food doesn't have to choose the kale salad,” Himmel said. “He can choose the buffalo grilled chicken salad, so you're still getting that flavor, but it's healthier.”

LunchOwl generates an email with the following week's suggested menu items based on dietary preferences, although the user can adjust the delivery days or meals.

Lunches are delivered each morning and placed on each employee's specially marked tray. And forget about wasteful Styrofoam. LunchOwl uses reusable glass containers and silverware. Each tray also comes with a personalized lunch note.

The service offers a potential cost savings to employers. Healthier employees are sick less, resulting in lower health care costs and increased productivity, which leads to a healthier bottom line, Himmel said. Plus, employees see the offering as a perk and a reflection of the company's commitment its work force's wellbeing.

“The best and brightest people flock to innovative workplaces,” Himmel said.

The LunchOwl concept is an outgrowth of Himmel's computer science and restaurant industry background. He operated for five years a similar concept, the result of a computer science project while attending Tulane University in Louisiana, then sold that business. Himmel most recently ran the marketing side of his family's business, Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar, located in Woodmere and Maryland.

“LunchOwl is a mashup of my technology and restaurant background and personal interest in health and wellness,” Himmel said.

He's spent more than a year carefully evaluating its viability, and through the pilot molded his business model around a tiered employer contribution system that averages a 55% employee participation rate.

Himmel's two partner chefs prepare the food out of a shared kitchen in University Circle.

Once the founders have built up their clientele in Cleveland and surrounding areas, Himmel said the startup is eyeing expansion into other regional markets.

“We'd like to be in 25 markets in 10 years,” he said.

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